In recent years, the victims' movement has sought to re-establish a place for the victim in the American criminal justice process and to enhance the rights of crime victims. It is important to note that the thrust of the victims' movement has been to increase the rights of victims, not to eliminate or reduce the rights of criminal defendants.

Thanks to the efforts of victim rights groups, crime victims no longer get lost or forgotten in the criminal justice process. Almost every state in the U.S. has passed laws that protect the victims of a crime. Though all states have some provisions for the rights of crime victims, the scope and strength of these provisions can vary greatly from state to state. Victims' rights often include:

• The right to notification of the stages/ proceedings in the criminal process;
• The right to attend and/or participate in criminal justice proceedings;
• The right to notification of other legal remedies
• The right to protection from intimidation and harassment;
• The right to notice of the release or escape of the offender;
• The right to privacy, including confidentiality of records;
• The right to speedy trial provisions;
• The right to confer or discuss the case with the prosecutor;
• The right to prompt return of the victim's personal property seized as evidence;
• Crime Victim Compensation and restitution.